My friends had to subsidise the cost of running my vital oxygen therapy | Money

I am addicted under long -term oxygen therapy after a Double pulmonary transplanting.

I have the right to reimburse the excess electricity used by the oxygen concentrator and I received quarterly payments of around £ 48 of Vivisol, which administers discounts on behalf of the NHS.

However, I was forced to stay with friends and family for a year after the floods in my house, and I spent two months more convalescence at my daughter after a heart operation.

I did not receive any discount during this period, and Vivisol told me that I would not be reimbursed when I did not live at home, which means that my hosts had to subsidize my treatment.

Ss,, Oriental Sussex

The discount scheme aims to protect eligible patients who rely on an oxygen concentrator against spiral energy costs.

I see that the Vivisol website indicates, by the way, that patients are eligible for the cost of using the machine at their main address.

It also seems insufficiently clear, as well as potentially unfair. It is obvious that those who have such serious health problems may have to move, as you have done, for convalescence, for respite or construction work.

It seems unreasonable to me to expect me that friends and family like what can be a considerable invoice for treatment and, since the concentrators record the consumption of electricity on an integrated counter unrelated to the household counter, it is easy to be able to monitor the costs involved.

I first approached the NHS in England to ask if this restriction was the NHS policy and if there were exemptions for cases such as yours.

He referred to me to the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board, who explained that patients can appoint a temporary address as their main residence via their service provider in circumstances such as yours.

In the meantime, Vivisol has responded to my contact by agreeing to restore and restore your discounts to cover the period during your absence.

A spokesperson said: “Any communication emphasizes that eligibility only applies to the patient’s main address. Due to your email, we will examine to identify if it may be clearer.”

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